


Twisted Thomas(Narrative)

by KorruptBrekker



Series: Thomas At An Angle(Narrative) [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Swap, Gen, Light/Dark Side Swap, Strong Language, not beta read we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:07:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 12,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28017474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KorruptBrekker/pseuds/KorruptBrekker
Summary: Virgil wakes up in a different world. Everything is seems to be reversed. All he wants to do is just go home, but when his friends are now his enemies, and his enemies his friends, the task seems harder than he first thought.
Series: Thomas At An Angle(Narrative) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2068179
Comments: 54
Kudos: 78





	1. This Isn't My Room?

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Twisted Thomas](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24611677) by [MimiIvory](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MimiIvory/pseuds/MimiIvory). 
  * Inspired by [The Frisbee Incident (And The Events That Occured Thereafter)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19879972) by [Prodigal_Sunlight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prodigal_Sunlight/pseuds/Prodigal_Sunlight). 



> _This work is a narrative version of Twisted Thomas, a screenplay by[ MimiIvory](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MimiIvory/pseuds/MimiIvory). I implore you to check it out, if for no other reason than to read ahead._
> 
> _**Note:** For those of you who have read the original work, I will be taking some creative liberties with lines and/or titles that are clunky(in my opinion), but for the most part I will be staying true to the original version of Twisted Thomas._
> 
> **Warnings:** Panic attacks, Knives
> 
> **Point of View:** Virgil

The blankets shift as Virgil slowly rouses. He rubs his eyes, groaning. It’s been a while since he’s slept. Being the personification of anxiety, he doesn’t get the luxury of sleep often. He’s both thankful and concerned. If he’d actually gotten to sleep last night, he must have been really exhausted. Something terrible must have happened. Oh God what the hell happened?

His eyes shoot open, his breath already quickening, and it proceeds to spiral out of control as he takes in his surroundings.

He’s not in his room.

It looks kind of like his, but with some clear differences. For starters, there’s a window framed by white lavender curtains. The floor is hardwood, a patch of it lighter than the rest as sunlight shines through the window. The bed is situated in the corner, with a fuzzy magenta rug in the middle of the square room. He looks down at the sheets; they’re a gradient of light magenta to lavender. The walls are a light gray, and they’re completely bare. Beneath the window is a medium gray desk with a grey and lavender rolling chair in front of it. To his horror, there’s a decorative knife set atop the desk, the handles alternating magenta and lavender, the blades gleaming menacingly.

His chest heaves, his head beginning to panic. This isn’t okay. This isn’t his room. He doesn’t know where he is. What if he was kidnapped? He doesn’t recognize any side that matches the colour scheme other than maybe himself, ohmyGod he was kidnapped by an unknown side! Who are they? What do they want from him? Is he going to die? Who the hell is he kidding, of  _ course _ he’s going to die! He’s going to die a terrible, painful,  _ horrible _ death, and no one will ever know and-

_ Knock knock. _

His frenzied gaze shoots to the lavender door.  _ Nononononononononono. _ They’ve come for him. This is it. He’s going to die. He won’t get a chance to see the others ever again. He’ll never be held by Roman ever again. He’ll never get eat Patton’s cookies, or listen to Logan rant or-

_ Knock knock. _

“Open up the door or I’ll open it for you. We want to check in, we’re worried about you.”

A stern but kind voice sounds through the door. It sounds vaguely like Deceit. Holy shit they’re working with Deceit!

Virgil looks over to the desk, eyeing the knife set. He snatches a knife, his hands shaking. He’s never been happier he grew up with Remus. Anxiously, he approaches the door, swinging it open and brandishing the knife in what he hopes is a menacing manner.

Deceit stands in the doorway with a comforting smile across his face. Except he isn’t dressed like Deceit. He has on a pastel yellow flannel shirt rolled up to the elbows, and a light yellow scarf loosely around his neck with a snake skin pattern printed on it. Along with that, he wears what look to be very comfy, white pants with yellow loafers. His brown hair is fluffy with a slight flip to it and is brushed to the side. Neither his bowler hat nor his capelet is in sight. 

“Hey Vigilance! You’ve been in your room for a day and said to check in- Why are you pointing a knife at me..?”


	2. Deceit?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil comes face to face with two people who look very similar and act extremely different. All he wants to do is have a clear, non confusing conversation, but it can never be that easy can it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Knives
> 
> **Point of View:** Virgil

“Because I woke up with  _ no idea _ where I am, and if I see a knife and then hear  _ your _ voice, I’m decidedly going to use the fucking knife.”

Deceit’s smile drops in favour of an utterly confused expression. He chuckles awkwardly. “Oh, you’re just joking with me.” When Virgil’s glare doesn’t ease up, his features shift into concern. “What’s wrong Vig? Why’re you acting like this?”

“Why’re you calling me that. That’s not my name and you know it. And why the hell are you being chummy with me all of a sudden. Didn’t I tell you to fuck off? Just because you can help Thomas, doesn’t mean that I want you anywhere near me.”

Once Deceit starts to tear up, Virgil realizes that he probably messed up. The side in front of him doesn’t dress like Deceit, or act like the sly side at all for that matter. That snake would never start to cry in front of him. But if this isn’t Deceit, then who could it be? The tightness in Virgil’s chest refuses to let up, his breathing speeding up again.

“Hey Creativity!” Deceit’s lower lip wobbles as he calls out, “Get in here, Vigilance is acting weird and I’m concerned!”

“Why the hell do you need to speak to Princey?” Virgil demands, but is secretly really excited to see a familiar face. Though if he’d really been kidnapped by this weird, reverse Deceit, then why is he calling in Roman? Wouldn’t that just ruin his plan? He sets his jaw, the confusion starting to overwhelm him. Someone skips down the hallway, and his heart sinks to his shoes as he realizes who it is.

_ Not Roman…  _

“Princey? But I’m not a prince, I’m a count!” Remus giggles, though it’s oddly bubbly. Not at all unhinged like his giggles usually are. What’s even weirder is that Remus is also dressed differently. His tunic and pants are more like Roman’s in style, and his sash is a lime green, not the sickening neon that it usually is. The embroidery across his chest, shirt cuffs, and collar is a cool silver, standing out against the white and green. From his shoulders hangs a cape in an ombre from lime green at the top to silver at the bottom, and his boots are a light grey with a lime green stripe at the top of them.

“Creativity” is smiling, but it’s bright and warm, nothing like the unhinged grin Virgil’s used to. This is weird. He’s anxious, but more than that, he’s just utterly confused. These aren’t the sides he knows. Hope? Creativity? Creativity is Roman, not this weird pastel Remus.

_ Okay Virgil, think. Breathe. Calm down. You can’t get yourself out of this situation if you're in panic mode. _

“Wait,  _ you’re _ Creativity?” He asks, looking incredulously at Remus.

“Mhm! You’re acting kinda strange Vig. You okay?”

_ No. _

“That’s why I called you in here. ” Deceit looks to Creativity.  “I hoped maybe you would know.”

Virgil’s grip is slowly loosening on the knife. Neither of them seem like they’re gonna kill him. Or torture him. Or do anything bad really. They all just seem confused, and Virgil is right there with them.

Hesitantly, he speaks again. “Is your name still Remus..?”

_ I swear, if I have to deal with new personalities  _ and  _ new names I don't know how I’m gonna keep a clear head through all of this. Well, as clear of a head as I can keep. _

Deceit cocks his head to the side. “Still?”

Creativity nods slowly, looking at him weird. “Yeah… You know this, Vig.”

“And you’re Hope…” Virgil looks at the side, still slightly suspicious. “And your real name is Janus..?”

“Yes?” he drags out the “e,” “Is there a reason you’re verifying our names?”

He points to himself, shifting the knife to his non-dominant hand. “And I’m Vigilance, real name Virgil..?”

Janus just sighs, beginning to show frustration.

Remus groans.  “Yes! Now can you tell us what’s going on now? You’re really worrying us.”

“I have no fucking idea.” Virgil responds.

This time they both groan in frustration, Janus nervously fingering the ends of his scarf.

He looks up at Virgil. “Okay, are you really Vigilance? And what did you mean by me..  _ flipping _ off..?

He resists the urge to laugh. He’s never seen Janus avoid swearing, except when he’s impersonating Patton. It’s jarring, and quite hilarious if he’s being honest with himself. As for explaining to Pastel Janus why he told him to fuck off, that is not going to happen. It’s a long story, and he probably doesn’t have time to tell it. 

He takes another second to really look at the two sides in front of him. It’s weird. They look like the side in facial structure, Janus with his scales and Remus with his mustache, but their clothing and appearances are the complete opposite of the Remus and Janus he’s used to. They look so kind and warm. And even though they look fed up with everything right now, they still radiate a certain warmth. Not as strong as his famILY, but they do give off a Light Side kind of vibe.

“Don’t worry about it.” Virgil waves him off, stepping back into the room to put the knife back in the stand. It was getting kind of awkward holding it for so long.

“Okay, I am still  _ very _ confused.” Remus pipes up.

“I need to make a chart.” He states once he returns to the door frame. Logan would be proud. He shoves away the pang in his chest at the thought of his family.

“What the flip? Why do you need a chart?” The soft, snake side demands.

“Logan isn’t here to do it for me, and I need to have a way to remember who you are and to sort out how things work around here.”

Remus glares. “ _ I need an explanation. _ What happened? What’s  _ happening? _ Will someone please explain!”

“And I need a way to sort out how things work around here. Pen and pencil.” Virgil holds out his hand.

Janus wines, one hand fiddling with his scarf, the other holding his head. Remus looks like he wants to slap someone. He’s sure that by the end of this, all of their brows will be permanently stuck in a furrowed expression. Remus summons two chairs and both he and Janus sink into them, clearly exhausted. 

Virgil rolls his eyes.  “Calm down, drama queen.”

Remus scoffs. 

Janus’s shoulders sink. It looks like he’s resigned himself to permanent confusion. “Is there a reason for this?”

Virgil begins to try to explain. “Okay, I went to sleep.”

“Yes?”

“Remus, wait. I didn’t finish.”

The creative side sighs, but stays silent.

“Wow. Can’t believe that works here.” 

Janus looks like he’s getting to where he wants to slap someone, too. “What the flip is going on.”

“Well, I was gonna say ‘stop interrupting and I’ll tell you’ but then he actually stopped and it’s real weird.”

Remus throws his head back, letting out a long,  _ long _ sound of frustration. Janus looks like he’s actually going to slap someone. And by the direction he’s glaring, it looks like it’s going to be Virgil.

“I know Remus interrupts sometimes, but if that’s the reason you’re acting like this Vig-”

“I try to listen! I just don’t wanna forget my thought so I blurt it out before I forget it! I’m sorry-” Remus starts to tear up.

Oh fuck. He’s making Remus cry. First Janus and now Remus. He exhales sharply, not nearly as frustrated as the other sides, but he’s rapidly getting there. “Sorry! I keep getting distracted. What I’ve been trying to say is…”  _ Come on Virgil, blurt it out. _ “This, uh, this isn’t my room. And I don’t know you.”


	3. Don't Call Me That.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil, Remus, and Janus finally come to some sort of understanding as to what's going on. In doing so, Virgil learns a few things about where he is, and how these other sides work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** None
> 
> **Point of View:** Virgil

The two sides stare at Virgil from their chairs, disbelief and shock in their eyes. The silence drags on, and Virgil’s really wishing he has a chair too right about now. He fidgets with the sleeve of his hoodie, biting his lip, squirming under their gaze. Janus looks hurt. Remus looks concerned and confused.

“Vig, why? Why would you do this? It’s not funny.” He near pleaded.

“That’s _not_ my name.”

Janus throws his hands up in the air. “Alrighty then! What _is_ your name?”

Virgil internally relaxed, relieved that these two reverse sides were finally catching on and getting the point. “Virgil, or Anxiety.”

He feels a jolt as Janus’ eyes widen and Remus jumps up from his chair. That is panic. These two sides are panicking. Well, at least he still functions like he does back home. So, he’s still the same, but these two, and probably the others, are different. Good to know.

Janus stands, looking into his eyes, panic coming off him in waves. That’s definitely a sight to see, he’s never seen the snake side this worked up. Even if it isn’t his Janus, it’s still weird.

“Ohmygosh have the Others’ finally gotten to you?!”

He internally groans. _They still don’t get it._

He drags a hand across his face, too fed up to worry about if he’s smearing his eyeshadow. “Okay, look. You guys are Light Sides right?”

“Yes? So are you.” Janus says. He still holds Virgil’s gaze, though Remus has elected to hover near Janus and Virgil making the situation infinitely more uncomfortable and awkward than it already is.

“No.” Virgil responds.

Remus looks at him, blinking. “No?”

Virgil sighs as confusion overtakes the two side’s faces once more. “Well, not completely. And not here. I’m not Vigilance. I’m Anxiety. Vigilance isn’t here.”

Janus and Remus share the same expression, but Janus is the only one who speaks. “What the flip?”

Virgil resists the strong urge to pull out his hair. He wants to scream. He desperately wants these two to get it through their thick skulls that he isn’t Vigilance. That this isn’t his mindscape, but they just _didn’t get it._ They _don’t listen._

“Jesus _Christ_ I am fucking done with you two! I am _not_ Vigilance. I am _Anxiety._ My name is still Virgil, but my purpose is different from your Virgil’s purpose. I don’t belong here. So I need to figure out what happened to me.”

Virgil glares at them, tension in his body easing as their expressions lose their confusion.

“Wait, so you’re telling us that the Dark Sides did something to your head to make you think that you’re Anxiety and not Vigilance and that you think you don’t belong here?!”

Forget screaming. Virgil’s going to commit murder. _Just_ listen. _For once in your lives,_ just listen.

“Look, that’s a possibility, but it’s pretty remote. I think.” He deadpans.

“Why isn’t it likely?” Janus asks timidly. The panic is still coming off the two, but Janus’s panic has eased faster than Remus’s has, and Virgil is more than grateful.

“Well, my memories of the past few days are pretty detailed, and I don’t think they could have done something like this on a first try. Have you seen evidence of an experiment like this? Either on the other Sides or people in the Imagination? I’m assuming the Imagination still exists.”

The their faces fall at mention of the Imagination. _Apparently it doesn’t exist here. I wonder what happened._

The snake side speaks up. “We don’t know much about them, but they don’t seem any different. And I haven’t noticed anything weird about Remus.”

Remus shrugs. “Yeah, Janus acts the same, and I’m sure someone would have reported if the Others were kidnapping villagers. Again.”

Virgil holds back a smile at that. The mention of kidnapping villagers brings him back to the days where he and Remus--his Remus--would antagonize Roman and his part of the imagination. They loved causing chaos back in the day.

“Okay. So it could have been my sides that did this. Damn, if you two are like this, I bet your sides are way different than the sides I know. Okay, Roman wouldn’t do something like this. Sending me to an alternate universe where my old friends still like me, and with Deceit being sympathetic? Probably not. Yesterday was pretty hard on him.”

“Janus is Deceit?” Remus asks.

“Yes, but Deceit is more… evil? No, that’s not the right word. Unfriendly works for now I guess. Now stop talking.” Virgil cringes as their faces fall. “Please. So, not Roman. It wouldn’t be Remus either. No matter how much he wants me back, he wouldn’t be able to stop it from being disturbing for this long.” He chuckles.

Janus looks horrified. “Why the heck are you talking about Remus like that?”

He runs a hand through his hair with a groan. “Not this Remus. My Remus. Intrusive Thoughts. Forbidden Creativity. The Duke. You know what, I’m just gonna call him the Duke from now on. It’s easier. So, it can’t be the Duke, and it wouldn’t be Deceit because he doesn’t have enough power to do this. Unless he asked Thomas, and they were working together, but I doubt Thomas would help Janus to do something like this. So, there doesn’t look like a real reason for any of my sides to do this. A couple months ago I wouldn’t be so sure, but things have kinda calmed down now.”

_That just leaves us with more questions then. If their sides didn’t do this, and my sides didn’t do this, then who did? What happened?_

Remus’s eyes widen. “What if He starts listening to Deceit? Won’t He become a bad person?”

_Good Lord I should show them the videos._

“Look,” Virgil reluctantly places a hand on Remus’s shoulder, attempting to calm him down. “Deceit’s not great, and he did a shit job of taking care of me, but he’s not just Deceit. He’s Thomas’s self preservation. Thomas just hasn’t been listening to him. I think it was kinda Patton’s fault, but I was too scared of Thomas’s friends leaving him if he listened to Deceit, so I definitely didn’t help. Deceit needs an eye to be kept on him, but not listening to him at all was dangerous, and I should have seen that.” His hand slides off of Remus’s shoulder, shoulders sagging with guilt.

Thankfully, Janus changes the topic. “So… You _were_ a Dark Side…?”

“Yeah. I’m Thomas’s Anxiety. Not exactly something he wants to listen to.”

“What does a Dark Side mean over there…?” Janus nervously looks to Virgil.

He chuckles. _It really does sound worse than it is._ “The Dark Sides are just the part of Thomas that he doesn’t accept. Doesn’t like. That doesn’t mean we want to hurt him, it just means that he doesn’t want to think about us. Anxiety isn’t looked at as something helpful, usually. Deceit isn’t the most morally aligned, and Thomas can be too selfless to accept that he needs to take care of himself. The Duke conjures up terrible things, giving Thomas bad ideas. And seeing as Anxiety and Intrusive Thoughts don’t mix very well, we all kinda have a habit of playing the bad guy sometimes.”

Hope and Creativity both sag into their chairs in relief. Damnit, Virgil could really use a chair right about now.

“That’s not what it means here…” Janus fiddles with his scarf.

“What does it mean?”

“The ones that make Thomas a bad person…” Janus mutters as he and Remus both focus their gazes on the floor.

Virgil tilts his head to the side. “Can’t literally any side make Thomas a bad person if given too much control?”

The two light sides exchange a look, clearly not having thought about that before.

“I guess so.” Janus’s eyes flick up to his before they turn back to the floor. “But they’re making Him a bad person right now…”

Virgil’s eyes widen as his breath catches. “So you’re saying that Thomas is being controlled by the Dark Sides?”

Remus nods. “Yeah. Not fun.”

 _Holy shit. Holy fuck._ Virgil’s eyes flick across the walls and to the floor as his chest starts to close up, his thoughts running at a mile a minute. He takes as deep a breath as he can, closing his eyes. _Not now, Virgil. Solve the problem now, panic later._

He looks at Remus and Janus. “That’s not good.” He hesitates. “How is Thomas a bad person…?”

Janus chuckles darkly. Virgil frowns. Cynicism doesn’t fit his cheery demeanor. “Hope and Creativity are no match for Rectitude*, Pride, and Control. Vigilance is a little stronger than us, but not by much.”

“So now it’s my job to make Thomas a better person.” He laughs semi hysterically. “I don’t even know fucking how! Maybe the others would. Patton went way overboard, but we could learn from his-”

Remus puts his hands up in a stopping motion as Virgil unravels. “Woah, woah, calm down there Virge. You’re acting kinda paranoid.”

The word hits like a knife to the chest. Virgil’s head shoots up, glaring at Remus. He sets his jaw, trying to stay calm, and failing miserably. “Yeah, this is _definitely_ an alternate universe.”

“How do you know?” Janus asks, shrinking into his chair.

“Because where I’m from,” he growls, stalking towards the other sides. He towers over them, his tritone voice reverberating around the hallway. “ _No one_ would be _stupid enough_ **to _call_** ** _me that._** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * _Rectitude:_ Moral integrity; righteousness. Root word of _rectitudinous,_ a synonym of self-righteous


	4. Just Keep Breathing.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At long last, introductions are passed around, and Virgil learns that this version of Thomas is in worse shape than he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Mentions of Homophobia
> 
> **Point of View:** Virgil

Virgil can feel his hands shaking, the fear coursing through him as just the mention of his previous title. Flashes of memories cloud his vision. Lonely dark nights and nightmares, the longing to be somewhere else, the constant feeling of something watching. He can vaguely register the two figures sitting in front of him, eyes wide and unable to look away. There’s a tingling on his skin telling him he’s radiating fear. He squeezes his eyes shut, forcing himself to breathe.  _ Four, seven, eight. Four, seven, eight. _

After what feels like ages he comes back to himself, not meeting the other sides’ eyes. A wave of exhaustion hits, and he could  _ really _ use a chair right about now. As if Remus is reading his thoughts, the creative side summons a chair for him, and clears his throat as Virgil collapses, grateful for the release.

“Okay, nevermind.. Moving on.” The creative side says, taking the hint that Virgil doesn’t want to talk about what just happened.

Janus, however, is not as gracious. “So.. uh, calling you…  _ that _ is beyond what anyone would be comfortable with..?”

Virgil can still feel the fear coming off of the two, but it’s subsided substantially now that he appears calm. He decides to ignore Janus’s question, continuing with his train of thought from before. “Logan has almost tampered with side stuff before, but he wouldn’t be able to make something like this. He’s Logic. Remus--The Duke--maybe, but he couldn’t keep it this nice, and though he’s not great, he only breaks boundaries in the moment. He doesn’t program them in, and your.. verbal slip up, Remus, isn’t something that would be so natural to slot in. So, I have  _ no idea _ what’s going on. I think we might need everyone’s help for this.”

Suddenly the fear spikes, Janus and Remus exchanging glances.

“Everyone..? Even… the Dark Sides..?” Remus reluctantly asks.

Virgil nods. “Yeah, but I can probably take care of them. You’ve seen what my Tempest Tongue can do, I doubt they can put up much of a fight.”

Janus bites his lip, looking like he wants to say something. Eventually, he speaks up, avoiding Virgil’s gaze. “What..  _ can _ you do?”

It’s his turn to avoid eyes as Virgil begins to explain, “Pure fear. Typically I radiate an aura of anxiety, not strong, but always there. With my Tempest Tongue, it’s blown full force into pure, unadulterated fear. Terror.” He sees the looks he’s getting and quickly tries to reassure his audience, “Don’t worry, I won’t use it unless the situation gets really severe. I can only do it if I’m scared shitless.”

Seeing the others relax causes something in his chest to lose some of it’s tension. That’s good.

Remus pipes up after a beat of silence. “Alright, so I guess we should do introductions. Like, for real this time. Not all that confusion business that just happened.” He chuckles. “I’m Remus, Creativity, and the one and only, Count of the Imagination!” He beams, striking a pose.

Janus huffs fondly. “And I’m Janus, Hope, and bearer of the Flame.”

Virgil snorts. “The what now?”

“You know, the Flame?” Remus and Janus look at him like he’s asking what colour the sky is. The looks intensify when Virgil’s confusion doesn’t let up. “The spirit? The essence of a person? You know,  _ the soul? _ ”

Virgil raises an eyebrow. “We don’t really have something like that where I’m from.”

“Weird.” Is all Janus says.

Quickly catching on that this world is completely backwards from his own, Virgil comes to a realization. “I, uh, I have an awkward question to ask you guys.”

“What’s up?” Remus leans forward, hands on his knees, that weird, warm smile on his face.

“Since everything here seems to be opposite from where I’m from, are you all still gay..?”

Remus blinks. “Still?”

“We’re straight. You’re not?” Janus responds, bewildered.

Taken aback, Virgil just looks at the two. “Yeah, I think that confirms it. I’m in an alternate universe.”

“Why?” Remus looks at Janus, then Virgil, looking confused. Again.

“Thomas, well,  _ my _ Thomas, and by extension the rest of his sides are very gay. He’s even sung songs about it.” He smiles fondly at the memory, though the smile turns downward as he realizes he still doesn’t know how to return home. His attention is reluctantly dragged back to reality, and he sees the concern on Janus and Remus’s faces. “What? Why do you guys look so worried? Do you have problems with gay people or someting?” He represses a wince. That came off a bit more defensive than he intended.

The two quickly backpedal, Remus flailing his arms and Janus quickly saying, “No! No, of course not! Well,  _ we  _ don’t, but…”

“But?” Virgil presses.

Remus giggles, “Hehe, butt.” though his face turns solemn as he finishes Janus’s thought. “But the others do. And because they’re in control, He does, too.”

_ Great. My AU host is a homophobe. I’m trapped, with  _ no idea _ how to get back, with homophobes. Fantastic! _

“We’re trying to get him to chance, but… we’re no match for the others.”

Virgil takes a deep breath, feigning confidence. “A little fear can go a long way. And lucky for you guys, you’ve got just the guy to scare acceptance into those sons of bitches. Do you know where they are?”

Janus’s jaw drops and Remus bounces in his chair, excitement and hope written all over his face. Slowly Janus’s lips twist into a hopeful smile, too. Both he and Virgil stand, Remus bouncing out of his chair so enthusiastically he knocks it over, and the three begin to make their way down the hallway, a hope and determination hanging in the air.


	5. Chart Time!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil finally makes his chart, and Janus and Remus learn a little bit about Virgil's past. And how their counterparts are very different then they thought'd they'd be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Mentions of Death, Mentions of Violence
> 
> **Point of View:** Virgil

The three barely reach the end of the hallway when Virgil stops abruptly, causing the others to follow suit. Janus looks concerned, and Remus just looks confused. Virgil is starting to get really accustomed to those expressions, and frankly, isn’t sure how to feel about it.

“Before we continue, I still need to make a chart.” He sticks out his hand in Remus’s direction.

He wordlessly summons a small poster board and marker, handing it over to Virgil. The dark side takes it, using the wall as a stand and starts to write. 

* * *

_Virgil = Anxiety(Stormcloud) -- ~~Dark Side~~ Light Side _

_Here Virgil = Vigilance -- Light Side_

_Janus = Deceit -- Dark Side(?)_

_Here Janus = Hope = Light Side_

_Remus = Forbidden Creativity(The Duke) -- Dark Side_

_Here Remus = Creativity -- Light Side_

_Patton = Morality(Dad) -- Light Side_

_Here Patton = ??? -- Dark Side_

_Logan = Logic(Teach) = Light Side_

_Here Logan = ??? -- Dark Side_

_Roman = Creativity(Princey) -- Light Side_

_Here Roman = ??? -- Dark Side_

* * *

After he finishes, Remus bounds up, looking at the chart with wild enthusiasm. “This looks helpful!”

Virgil’s lips quirk at the praise. He hides the smile, but he has to admit, the two light sides are growing on him. It’s nice to see Janus so caring in a soft way, and to see Remus so excitable in a non disturbing way.

Once Remus backs away, Janus steps up to the poser, looking at it with interest. “Why did you put nicknames for some of them but not others?”

Virgil shrugs. “Assuming the Dark Sides have the same names as the Light Sides in my universe, I’m gonna need different names to call them so we don’t get too confused.”

The two both look confused again. Quickly, Remus snaps, his face dawning in realization. “Oh, I get it! Deceit is his nickname.”

The hopeful side’s face falls slightly, looking to Virgil. “I guess we really don’t get along in the other world, huh?”

Virgil feels something crack in his chest at Janus’s crestfallen expression. He and Vigilance must be really close. All the more reason to get back home. He rubs the back of his neck, looking awkwardly at Janus. “Well, uh… not anymore. Manipulation and shit happened. Kinda ruined what we had. There are other nicknames for him, but they’re all rude and.. snake based… Not sure if you would be comfortable with that. And you also have scales, so it doesn’t really work.”

“Everyone was making fun of Deceit?” Remus’s brows furrow in sympathy, putting a comforting arm around Janus. The scaled side smiles slightly in return.

Virgil looks at the floor, fingers going to his hoodie sleeve. “I.. I’m not the most friendly, I was even less friendly back then. It wasn’t very safe, I needed to be on guard all the time. For Remus.. my Remus, The Duke, making fun is light humor from him. So, that’s where it started. He was also firting with Deceit, which means taunts, pranks, and murder attempts.” Virgil spares a glance at the light sides, quickly returning his gaze to the floor at their horrified expressions. “Deceit, Remus, and I, we were menaces, but he had each other. That’s how we worked. Until we didn’t. Until it was too much.. Until I left...”

Silence. Virgil bites his lip, still fiddling with his hoodie. He looks back up at the two sides, met with looks of concern and pity. This is why he doesn’t talk about his shit. He doesn’t deserve their pity and concern.

Suddenly, Remus speaks up, his bubbly voice breaking Virgil out of his thoughts. “Sides can’t die?”

Virgil looked at him in disbelief. _That’s what he focused on?_ Janus, on the other hand, is looking at Remus with a fond smile. 

“Not permanently,” Virgil explains. “Unless you try really hard. Subconscious might do it. But I dunno what else to call hitting people with a morning star until they reform and then starting again for, like, a week straight.”

The creative side’s face twists in horror.

The hopeful side’s face reflects his disgust and concern. “What the flip?”

Virgil nearly snorts. _That’s not even the worst of it._ “I dared him to. Wasn’t my best moment.” 

“I can see why you left.” Janus mutters.

Virgil shrugs. “For them it’s always been like that. For them it isn’t a problem.”

“Didn’t you grow up with them?” Remus asks. “Why weren’t you okay with it if it was all you knew?”

 _Wow, this Remus is observant._ “I wasn’t as close as they were. They cared about me, I think, but I was scared. Always. Saw more bad than good. They saw everything, they were family. I just didn’t mesh as well as they did.” _I couldn’t let down my walls._ “Now enough with my angsty back story. Let’s go.”


	6. Introductions Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janus leads Remus and Virgil through the maze of pathways to the Others' realm, and gives Virgil a little more information on the Dark Sides.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** None
> 
> **Point of View:** Janus

Janus leads the way through the maze of hallways to the Others’ realm. Each step increases the swirling in his gut at the thought of confronting them, but knowing they have this other Virgil on their side helps a bit. This Virgil is kinda.. standoffish and rude, but that means he can deal with the Others, right? He’s intimidating, and isn’t very nice, and though he does seem a little disoriented and panicky at times, Janus is hopeful he’ll be able to show the Others that what they’re doing is wrong. He changed, so the Others can, too. All they have to do is get past them and get to Him. It can’t be that hard. Right?

Remus jumps ahead of them, walking backwards and pulling Janus from his thoughts. He looks over to Virgil, watching as the new addition to their group looks around in awe and bewilderment at the maze Janus is leading them through.

“Are you gonna do a big entrance thing?” Remus asks, looking at Virgil, clearly excited at the prospect.

Virgil shrugs. “Sure. Just got one question first.”

Janus turns to him, surprised he only has one question. He and Remus had quite a few, and they were still kind of confused as to what was going on. “Go ahead.”

The side’s shoulders hunch, teeth toying with his lip. Janus resists the urge to hug him like how he would Vigilance. Instead, he lets him gain the courage to speak. “Can’t you guys just.. ya know, rise up? Or, like, pop into existence? I don’t know which you do, but it’s faster than just walking through this maze. Can you not do that here?”

Janus sighs, remembering a time where it was as simple as just rising up.

His companion answers, “Control is annoying.” He acts nonchalant, but Janus can tell Control’s rules have affected him more than he likes to admit.

“That answers none of my questions. I don’t know who he is.” Virgil deadpans.

“Control doesn’t like anything out of place. He likes, well, control.” Janus explains. “He wants everyone under his thumb at all times, so he has a habit of finding weaknesses and exploiting them. Or creating them, for that matter. He doesn’t like compromise. He finds ways to hinder us, control us, which is why we can’t rise up anywhere outside of our part of the mindscape.”

Upon hearing this, Virgil’s glare intensifies. Janus resists the urge to shrink back, and is continuously astounded at Remus’s inability to not be frightened by this guy. Sure, he has good intentions, but he also radiates fear. He doesn’t elicit the same feeling as the Others, but Janus can tell he definitely isn’t a light side either.

“Control is annoying, Pride is a jerk, and Rectitude is the leader.”

Janus chuckles. An apt summary, though he decides to add on. “I don’t know what else to warn you about with Control. Another left, Creativity. Now, Pride is selfish, boastful, and he has a huge ego. And Rectitude thinks that our host deserves everything in the world. Rectitude, and by extension, He cannot make mistakes, and Rectitude is  _ always _ right. He and Pride get along. Pride likes what He has done, and Rectitude likes everything about Him,”

“Him?” Virgil asks. “Why don’t you just call him Thomas?”

Remus shakes his head. “We’re not allowed.” His cheery smile wavers slightly. “Control.”

“It’s no matter.” Janus insists, eager to change the subject.

Surprisingly, Virgil doesn’t push the matter. “Alright, let’s go. Now, what’s that big entrance thing you were talking about Remus?”

Remus’s smile returns tenfold as he starts explaining everything to Virgil, and Janus lets himself be hopeful.  _ It’ll all turn out. It has to. _


	7. Introductions Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions between the Dark Sides are high, and Control isn't making it any better with his stubbornness. Just when things are about to get out of hand, they get some unexpected visitors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Arguments
> 
> **Point of View:** Roman

Roman’s fingers tap a rhythm on the wooden table, zoning out and suppressing a yawn. He rolls his eyes as Control drones on and on about the day’s accomplishments, his speech _finally_ coming to a close.

“All in all, a productive day.” He concludes with an obligatory adjustment of his glasses, Control setting his gloved hands neatly on the table.

Roman barely resists the urge to groan. It’s as if he’s  _ trying _ to be boring. Count on Control to turn something as fun and rewarding as guiding Thomas and make it  _ boring. _ “Come  _ on _ Control, don’t make it sound so mundane. We did a fantastic job. You can say that. You don’t have to strip it down to the stats. Give us some credit once and awhile.”

Control shifts his gaze to Rectitude, a disapproving look painting his features.  _ Here we go again. _

“Rectitude, I still don’t see why you insist on these useless encouragements. He’s Pride, he shouldn’t need us to provide him fuel for his ego. Besides, productivity is the entire reason we’re currently holding this meeting. Therefore, since productivity levels have been addressed, there is nothing more to say. I’ve praised you both, are you not able to take just that? Need I grovel to make you feel accomplished? Because, frankly, I refuse.”

Control’s calculated words matched with his cold stare hit Roman right where it hurts. He’s just about to storm off when, as usual, Rectitude’s kind enough to try resolve the situation. Only out of obligation does Roman stay at the table.

Rectitude puts a hand on Control’s forearm. “Now, now Control. I know this is hard for you to understand, but this helps Pride. And a strong Pride is a strong ego, which Thomas needs. All it takes is just a smidge of a different wording and it’s all better.”

All Control does is raise an eyebrow at Rectitude. His gaze returns to Roman, and by the ice in his eyes, and the fact that Roman is  _ sure _ the room just dropped a few degrees, Control isn’t being subdued that easily.

“I understand that, for your function, you deal predominantly in meaningless accolades,” Roman scoffs, “but I still don’t comprehend why I have to put in the effort in shifting my speech patterns all so that you may feel better about yourself. How are you capable of your job at all if you can’t even accept a compliment if not worded correctly?”

_ He did not. _ Roman slams his hands on the table, pushing himself up from his chair, glaring daggers at Control. “Tell me, that you did  _ not _ just insult-”

A cheery knock sounds from the door. Roman doesn’t break his gaze with Control as he demands, “WHAT IS IT!”

Rectitude glares at the intruder as the door slowly opens. “What is it? We’re in the middle of something here.” His voice is dripping with honey, a dangerous edge to it, and though Roman can’t see it, he knows his piercing blue eyes are daring the intruders to defy him. 

Reluctantly Roman breaks his staring contest with Control, looking at the sides who have the gall to interrupt them. His little pest of a brother and his feeble little snake friend. A grin curves onto Roman’s face as he sees the fear in Creativity and Hope’s eyes.  _ Oh, this is going to be fun. _


	8. Introductions Pt. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dark Sides' feather are ruffled by the fact that the Lights interrupted their meeting, but it soon comes to light that all is not as it was in their mindscape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** None
> 
> **Point of View:** Logan

Logan sighs, running a gloved hand through his hair. This was not scheduled. Typically, the Light Sides have the courtesy, and the sense, to schedule meetings beforehand. Rarely do they have the confidence to barge in, unexpected. And for good reason, for that matter. Logan is nothing if not strict in regards to the lesser, Light Sides, and is none too kind when things don’t go according to plan. Though, seeing as Pride and Rectitude seem to be thoroughly distracted from previously encouraging him to conform to their unnecessary agenda, Logan decides the distraction isn’t wholly unwanted. He leans back slightly in his chair, electing to be an observer as the spectacle plays out.

Creativity chuckles awkwardly, shrinking under Rectitude’s gaze. “Well, uh, funny story… Uh..”

Logan sighs, looking at the stammering side with an uninterested expression. “Get to the point, Creativity. We don’t have the time, nor the patience for your verbal dawdling.”

Hope squares his shoulders, speaking up. “Vigilance is missing.”

_ Oh dear. _ He feels his thoughts start to whirl and fights to keep his temper under control as he runs through all probable scenarios that could have resulted in the disappearance of the side.

Pride scoffs, looking bored. “Why should we care? He’s annoying. Good riddance, I say!”

Logan grimaces, standing from his chair and stalking towards Pride. “You know why. Vigilance keeps us from getting killed, Pride. Without someone watching our backs, we’d be dead by now.”

Pride folds his arms, sticking out his lower lip.  _ Perfect. Pride is pouting. Just what I needed today. _ Logan knows Rectitude will take care of it, he always does, but it’s a hindrance nonetheless. He shifts his attention to the Light Sides. Hope and Creativity are looking at him with something akin to confusion, nothing unusual, but there’s an odd light shining in both their eyes.  _ They act as if I do not care if one of them is immobilized. Just because they are better suited to the command of someone else versus their own independence does not mean that they’re useless. Vigilance is an important piece of the machine that is the inner workings of Thomas, and if he is gone, it means things are at an imbalance. I care for the wellbeing of Thomas as a whole, not that side specifically. _

Rectitude puts his hands on his hips, voice taking on a condescending tone, “And you’re here because you think we did something to him? We couldn’t have; Control would have stopped us.”

Logan nods in confirmation.

Creativity’s head drops, his shoulders slumping. “Well..” he mutters, “We found him..”

Control looks at Creativity, confused and intrigued. 

Pride is significantly less subdued in his show of confusion and frustration, gesticulating wildly. “Then why the hell did you say he’s gone?”

_ That does raise questions, doesn’t it. _

“He’s not.. the same.” Hope says, his timid voice barely audible amongst the chaos Pride is perpetuating.

“And he wants to meet you.” Creativity adds, something different lacing the nervousness he usually has around the other sides. Something dangerously close to confidence.

Logan hasn’t much time to ponder where Creativity’s attitude change came from, nor what he and Hope have announced before a figure pops into existence behind them. His demeanor is that of a skulking teenager, and he has black eyeshadow heavily applied under the eyes. Why anyone would decide to do that is beyond Logan, but it’s not something to dwell on. He’s clad in a black and purple patchwork, zip up hoodie, black, ripped skinny jeans, and purple high tops. His hair falls down into his eyes, his fringe dyed a similar purple to the patches on his hoodie. He appears to be a darker, angstier version of Vigilance. Logan, along with the other Dark Sides, is abruptly taken aback.

Pride, as usual, regains his voice first, sneering at the newcomer. “Who the hell are you?”

The unknown side smirks, quirking his wrist in a two-fingered salute. “My name is Virgil.”

Logan blinks.  _ I wasn’t aware any of the other sides had names. Creativity and Hope look uncomfortable. This could either be due to the fact that this is a completely different side, and the fact that he shares a name with their companion is unsettling, or that his name is starkly different, making the contrast more evident. I am inclined to believe that it is the first of the two proposals, which gives me more information on Vigilance. Virgil. Maybe this interruption won’t be fruitless after all. _

The side speaks again, continuing his monologue. “You can call me V, Anxiety, or Anx. Oh yeah, forgot to mention,” his smirk widens into a grin. “I’m Anxiety. I’d say it’s nice to meet you all, but I’m not a liar.”


	9. Introductions Pt. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton gets acquainted with Anxiety. Things quickly go downhill when Pride verbally missteps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** None
> 
> **Point of View:** Patton

_This isn’t good. We have a new side. Anxiety. Gosh, I can already tell he’s going to be annoying. More annoying than Vigilance, that’s for sure. He doesn’t seem to be scared, which isn’t good at all. Let’s see if we can change that._

Rectitude’s smile is just a bit too sharp around the edges as he looks Anxiety up and down. “Hi Kiddo. Nice to meet you. Sorry about earlier, I was just a tad startled. I’m Rectitude.” He waves.

Anxiety’s expression darkens at Patton’s words. “Drop the act. I can see through that De- _Rectitude._ ” His mannerisms quickly shift, feet shuffling awkwardly. “Uh, sorry.” He mutters, as he fiddles with his hoodie sleeve.

Rectitude smiles, about to respond before the boy cuts him off, that blasted grin back in place.

“Fake, overbearing positivity just gets me on the defensive.” He shrugs, daring Patton to keep up his act.

He scowls. _So he’s got a bit of experience with façades. Seems he’s got quite the mouth on him. I wonder who De is._

His eyes shift to the Light Sides. Creativity is beaming at Anxiety, chest puffed out, and appreciative look in his eye. Hope, on the other hand, looks like he’s trying to shrink into his scarf. His fingers are fiddling with the little strands at one of the ends, wide eyes shifting from Anxiety to Rectitude. At least Hope is smart enough to be wary. 

Pride’s feathers are clearly ruffled by the new display of dominance, arms furiously crossed, glaring daggers at the intruder. Patton steals a glance behind to see Control sitting in a surprisingly relaxed position, lips quirked ever so slightly, a light in his eyes.

“What makes you so certain Rectitude is acting?” Pride demands.

Anxiety bristles. The action so minute Patton nearly misses it, the confident mask slipping back into place. “Grew up with a better liar. You learn to spot tells.”

_Well, well, well… Looks like he’s not as bulletproof as he claims to be._

“What’s with all the hostility.” Pride steps forward.

Anxiety locks eyes with Patton. “What’s with all the deception?” He smirks, turning back to Pride. “I heard through the grapevine that you guys are in charge of making this version of Thomas into an asshole.”

“As opposed to your version of Thomas?” Control speaks up, eyes sparked with intrigue.

Patton glowers. _Glad we’re all on the same page._ For once. _Now all Control has to do is step down, keep his trap shut, and let me lead. Why is it so hard for him to be a supporting character?_

Anxiety nods. “Assuming we’re not on some mind changing drug or in a simulation or some shit like that.”

Control looks even more interested at the ideas Anxiety presents. Pride’s eyes are half lidded as he examines his cuticles. Patton grimaces. _That is.._ uncomfortably _detailed._

“But would it not still be our Thomas?” Control inquires.

“If everything from my world got swapped around, he would still be my Thomas. _You_ would just be different versions of the people I know.” Anxiety responds.

Pride looks up. “Slow your roll, Paranoia. I’m confused.” 

Creativity flinches, eyeing Anxiety cautiously. Hope covers his ears, clearly shaking, eyes shut tight. Rectitude barely has time to look confused before Anxiety starts acting up.

His expression morphs from a smirk into cold, hard, fury. Patton is sure the air shifts down a few degrees.

“What the _fuck did you_ **_just CALL ME?_ **”

Patton freezes. Maybe he should have followed Hope’s example.


	10. Introductions Pt. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pride pushes Virgil over the edge, and the other sides learn a little bit more about the intrude because of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Mention of Coming Out Gone South, Virgil's Tempest Tongue, Descriptions of the Effects of Paranoia
> 
> **Point of View:** Remus

_ Gosh darn it Pride! This isn’t good. You could have called him  _ anything, _ why’d you have to call him  _ that? _ Why? Oh, this isn’t going to be good. _

“ **_I’M_ ** **NOT** **_PARANOIA. YOU DON’T WANT TO MEET_ ** **PARANOIA.** ”

Remus struggles to keep his composure as he feels the tremors of fear rippling from Virgil like earthquake aftershocks. He grins internally at the look of utter terror on Pride’s face. At least one good thing is coming out of this situation.

“Who’s Paranoia?” Control asks, looking surprisingly rattled himself.

Remus can’t see Virgil’s face, but the way his fists clench and the increase in those horrible fear tremors gives him a pretty good idea. “ **_YOU WANNA KNOW WHO PARANOIA IS, HUH?_ ** ”

Neither Control, nor Pride reply, and Remus lets out a silent sigh in relief.

“ **PARANOIA** **_WILL KEEP YOU_ ** **TRAPPED** **_IN YOUR OWN HOME FOR FEAR OF AN EVER CONSTANT,_ ** **INVISIBLE** **_THREAT._ ** **PARANOIA** **_WILL NEVER LET YOU SPEAK BECAUSE THERE IS_ ** **NO ONE** **_WHO ISN’T OUT TO GET YOU._ ** **PARANOIA** **_WILL FORCE YOU TO TRIPLE CHECK EVERY STREET CORNER BECAUSE THERE IS_ ** **ALWAYS** **_SOMETHING LURKING IN THE SHADOWS._ **

“ **_SO I WOULD_ ** **RECOMMEND** **_NOT CALLING ME PARANOIA. UNLESS, OF COURSE, YOU’D LIKE TO MEET HIM. AND_ ** **DRIVE THOMAS MAD** **_BY DOING SO. OH, DID I FORGET TO MENTION THAT? YEAH, PARANOIA’S_ ** **ALREADY** **_PSYCHO._ ** **NO ONE** **_CAN SAVE THAT MONSTER._ **

“ **_NOT_ ** **DECEIT,** **_WHO NEEDLED AND TRIED SO_ ** **DESPERATELY** **_TO HELP WITH HIS SMOOTH TONGUE AND KIND WORDS AND HIS_ ** **LIES.** **_NOT REMUS, OUR_ ** **DEAREST DUKE,** **_WHO NEVER SEEMED TO GET IT THROUGH HIS THICK SKULL THAT ALL INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS DO TO PARANOIA IS MAKE IT_ ** **WORSE.** ****

“ **_NOT PRINCEY WHO WAS TOO BUSY COMPLAINING TO_ ** **CARE,** **_OR LOGAN WHO WAS MORE INVESTED IN MY TALKING POINTS THAN_ ** **MY MENTAL STATE,** **_OR PATTON, WHO TRIED SO HARD ONLY TO BE PUSHED AWAY. NOT_ ** **ANYONE!**

“ **_NO ONE. CAN HELP PARANOIA._ ** ”

Remus gasps in relief once Virgil finishes, clutching his head. He’s drenched in cold sweat, knees weak and clacking together. The tritone resonance of Virgil’s Tempest Tongue reverberates through his skull, making it throb even after he’s stopped talking. He resists the urge to cry, instead having a clear enough mind to check on Janus. He’s even worse.

Hope has collapsed, hands over his head, whimpering as his fingers fist in his hair. His eyes are squeezed tight, his whole figure trembling. But somehow, by some miracle, he looks up. His voice shakes, but not nearly as much as Remus expects it to. “Then how did you become Anxiety..?”

Virgil’s shoulder’s tense. “ **_Thomas came out. And it blew up in his face. I wouldn’t stop yelling at him, telling him I’d told him so. And he listened. He wasn’t just scared of me anymore. He wanted to interact with me. And that_ ** **horrible** **_coming out felt like_ ** **the end of the world.** **_But it wasn’t. Because Thomas promised to listen to me. And suddenly, everything seemed better. Not_ ** **okay,** **_but better. I wasn’t as crazy, because I didn’t need to be feared to get people’s attention anymore._ ** ” His voice takes on a melancholic tone. “ **_So I_ ** _ became less  _ paranoid. I became Anxiety. And now here I am.” Remus can hear the smile in his voice. After a bear of silence, he speaks again. “Oh  _ fuck. _ ”

He watches in sheer shock as Virgil just sinks out. No explanation, no nothing. Just there one moment, and gone the next. Remus is still rubbing circles into Janus’s back, and his friend seems to be recovering. He looks horribly fatigued, and Remus assumes he himself doesn’t look much better. He feels  _ exhausted. _ Like he was hit by a truck or something. He squeezes Janus’s shoulders comfortingly, the other leaning into the touch.

Pride breaks the silence with two words that undoubtedly verbalize what everyone’s thinking. “Well shit.”


	11. Where Is He?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anxiety has disappeared, and Rectitude is none too happy with it. And it looks like Roman's getting all of the blame for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** 'Gay' Used As An Insult
> 
> **Point of View:** Roman

Rectitude shoots him a look. “No kidding.”

Roman swallows, smiling sheepishly. He’s still feeling the after effects of Anxiety’s rant, his whole body alert and on the lookout for danger. In front of him, Rectitude looks surprisingly well off. His face is a few shades lighter than normal, his freckles standing out across his cheeks, but other than that he looks unfazed. Though, considering he doesn’t correct Roman’s language, he’s worse off than he’s showing. And Control, though he looks shaken, is definitely more fascinated than anything else. His posture is a little too stiff, a sheen of sweat across his brow, but he has that light in his eyes, like when he begins a new experiment. Roman can’t decide whether to be impressed or repulsed.

He stolls up, adjusting his tie and gloves, pushing up his square framed glasses. “I believe someone should… go after them.”

Roman pulls a face. The freak just lost it, does this idiot really want to bother him already?

Hope pipes up, an arm around Creativity. Roman wrinkles his nose. _Ugh, how gay._

“I’ll go. Come on, Creativity. He’s probably in Vigilance’s room.”

“Are you sure you’re right for the task?” Rectitude raises an eyebrow, adjusting his deep grey bow tie and smoothing out his cerulean button down shirt. 

Creativity points at him, “He hates your guts.” he turns to Roman, “Probably doesn’t wanna talk to Pride because he’s what set him off in the first place,” Roman scoffs as his finger lands in Control’s direction, “and maybe Control would be okay, but…”

Rude. _How was I supposed to know one little nickname would turn the emo into a demon?_

Hope finishes Creativity’s point aloud. “We don’t really trust any of you right now.. I would appreciate it if you would let us sink out now..” He looks to Control, his scaled hand fiddling with his scarf.

Control snaps, which somehow makes a sound even though he’s wearing gloves. “Done. I’m going to check and see how this affected Thomas’s emotional and mental state.” He, Hope, and Creativity all sink out in unison.

Rectitude turns to Roman, expression icy. “So, now we have a hostile, _highly powered,_ Anxiety, running around the mindscape.”

Roman raises his hands, a lopsided smile across his features. “Look, I’m sure we can deal with him if he gets out of hand.” _Again._ “We’ve done it before, right?”

“We haven’t met a side _this_ powerful outside of us.” He snaps. “And _Control_ seems to like him.” He spits the name like it’s poison. Roman hesitates to think about what would happen to him if he strayed too far from Rectitude’s good side.

He tries to keep the desperation creeping up his back from his voice, brandishing his hands in a flourish. “We can handle anything if we work together. Even this emo.”

The side relents, though his gaze lingers on Roman’s. “I guess so.”

A small swishing sound grabs Roman’s attention. “Thomas experienced higher levels of anxiety than usual, but nothing detrimental. He’s perfectly adequate now.”

Roman doesn’t get the chance to sigh in relief as Hope rises up, worry in his eyes.

“He’s not in his room.”


	12. There He Is.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil has run from the situation and hides in the most rational place. On top of the fridge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Vague Panic Attack Mention
> 
> **Point of View:** Virgil

Virgil’s chest heaves as he grips the top of the refrigerator. He shuts his eyes, trying to calm down the storm swirling in his mind and lungs.  _ Remember what Logan taught you. _

Virgil opens his eyes, mouth dry as he wheezes, struggling for air.

_ Five things you can see. _ His eyes dart around the kitchen as he murmurs, “Counter.. Fruit bowl.. Floor. Jacket. Uh, pretzels..”

_ Four things you can feel. _ He teases the sleeve of his hoodie. “Hoodie.. Fridge. Pants. Tremors..”

He can hear Logan’s voice in his head, praising him. He pushes forward.  _ Three things you can hear.  _ “Fridge humming. My voice.” He freezes.  _ Footsteps. _

He holds his breath as well as he can, staying stalk still. His ears strain, and thankfully, the clicking of heels fades away. His shoulders sag, exhaling in relief.  _ Come on, Virgil. Keep going. Two things you can smell.  _ “The fridge.” It counts as two because it could be anywhere from one thing to twenty that’s wafting from the fridge. Though, whatever it is, it doesn’t smell that great.

_ And one thing you can taste. _ Virgil sticks his tongue out. “My spit.”

The footsteps stop. He stiffens. He must have been too distracted with grounding himself to notice them coming closer.

“Hey, uh… Anx? Why’re you on top of the fridge..?”

_ Pride. _ He looks just like Roman. All confident smirks and shining eyes. He’s dressed in a black tunic with golden embroidery at the shoulders and across his chest, a blood red sash flowing from his left shoulder to his waist. His heeled boots are all black, his effortlessly mussed hair topped with a crown of what looks like thorns, a ruby set into the center. His lips match the jewel in his headpiece, his red and black black eyeshadow and shining, gold eyeliner tying everything together. He looks stunning. He looks terrifying.

Virgil shrugs, feigning indifference. “Got scared. Small spaces calm me down.”

Pride cocks his head, and Virgil’s heart smarts. He looks  _ just _ like him. “How’d you even get up there?”

“Fight or flight. I ran and jumped. Not rocket science Prin- Pride.” He flinches as more footsteps alert the arrival of another side.

“Hey, Pride. Have you- what..?”

It’s a little bit easier to tell Rectitude from Patton. He doesn’t have the same warmth Patton radiates, and he’s clad in a bow tie and button down instead of a cardigan and polo. The rounded glasses and freckles are the same, but it’s somehow different when paired with cold, glacier eyes.

Virgil gives him his signature two fingered salute. “Hey.”

Sadly, the one thing Rectitude and Patton have in common is their Disappointed Dad face. The cocks his hip slightly to the side, crossing his arms firmly over his chest. “Are you trying to break the fridge?”

“I’ll get down.” He grumbles

“Found him!” Rectitude calls.

Virgil begins to make his way off of the fridge, taking the most time consuming route possible.  _ Of course these two are the ones to find me. Just my luck. _


	13. Oh God.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Virgil struggles down the fridge, Remus joins the party. This inspires Virgil to open up a little but more about _his_ versions of the sides.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Vague Nonsensical Violence Mention
> 
> **Point of View:** Virgil

Virgil is about halfway down the fridge when he hears a snort that devolves into giggling somewhere behind him. He had one leg still on top of the fridge, both hands hanging onto the top for dear life, the other dangling uselessly below him.

“You found him?” Remus manages through giggles. It’s odd to hear him laugh without a crazed tinge, but Virgil finds he doesn’t mind it.

Virgil feels his hand slip, and he crashes to the floor in a heap of limbs and hoodie. This only makes Remus laugh harder, snorts becoming more frequent as he sinks to his knees, arms wrapped around his stomach.

He himself can’t help but smile, a fond chuckle escaping his lips. “I haven’t seen him laugh like that in ages.”

“You only just met him.” Pride stares at him, tone flat.

Virgil bites his lip. “Sorry, not him.  _ My _ Remus. The Duke. Though he’d never laugh as something as tame as me falling off a fridge, though. A cliff, maybe. But not a fridge.”

Rectitude’s eyes widen, his mouth slack. “What…?”

Virgil snorts, rising and dusting off his jacket. The ambiance of Remus’s giggles have died down, but are nowhere near stopping if he’s gauging correctly. “You don’t wanna know.” Is all he says.

“He might not, but  _ I _ do.” Pride speaks up, eyes eager.

Virgil shakes his head.  _ He really is an idiot in every universe, huh?  _

“Whatever,” he acquiesced. “Murder attemps that go sideways, then through several walls, down a flight of fucking stairs, and then end with the participant practically dead. Not to mention his gospel song parodies. They’re horrible, but there are a couple gems. Shit like that.”

Rectitude has the same look Patton gets whenever Remus’s antics are brought up. The similarity makes Virgil squirm. Pride, on the other hand, huffs, an impressed look on his face. And Remus has dissolved into another fit of giggles.

“Thank goodness we don’t have  _ that _ to deal with.” Rectitude smiles.

“Aren’t you glad you have me instead of that?” Creativity barely managed to press the words through his seemingly endless giggles.

Another set of footsteps sounds and Janus appears. His gaze immediately goes to Remus, who is on the floor and seems nowhere near the end of his giggle fit. After opening and closing his mouth like a gaping fish, Janus finally comes up with something to say. “What the flip…?”


	14. Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All of the sides reconvene in the kitchen, and Virgil reveals some crucial information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** None
> 
> **Point of View:** Virgil

“Hey Hope! I found him!” Remus cheers, flopping onto the floor, limbs splayed.

Janus kneels next to him, concerned. Pride holds a hand to his chest, gasping in offence at the false claim.

_ Even their Offended Princey Noises™ are the same. _ Virgil’s eyes linger on the mirror prince, a wave of homesickness washing over him. They still haven’t made a plan to get him back. Will he ever see his family again? Or will he be stuck here playing hero for the two Light Sides for the rest of his life? He swallows a lump in his throat, head turning as Janus speaks up.

“Why is Remus…? You know what, nevermind. What did I miss? And why are you still here?”

Virgil hides a wince. “I fell off the fridge, causing Remus to have a giggle fit, and then talked about the Duke, and I’m pretty sure Patt-  _ Rectitude _ is beginning to appreciate Remus more now that he knows about the chaos tornado that is my Remus.”

Hope’s eyes widen in surprise, sneaking a glance at Rectitude. “Okay, I have another question.”

“Shoot.” Virgil says, hopping onto the counter.

“What are their names?” He gestures to the two Dark Sides present. “You seem to know. Do they mirror your Light Sides like Remus and I mirror your Dark Sides?”

Virgil raises an eyebrow, looking at Rectitude. The side’s face reveals nothing.  _ Have they really not told each other? _ He sighs. “For this we’ll need Control. Where is he anyways?”

“Right here.” He says, sauntering in and leaning a shoulder against the doorframe. 

He, like Rectitude and Pride, wears a similar outfit to Logan, but his is significantly more refined. He’s dressed in a smart, navy three piece suit, a black button down, and a royal blue tie. The only stark difference he has is his black gloves. Virgil can only imagine what’s under them, the thoughts sending shivers down his spine.

“Good. We’re doing a meet and greet, everyone get comfy. All in favour of keeping your names a secret say ‘aye.’”

“Aye.” Rectitude and Pride speak in unison, fervently and sternly respectively.

“Too bad. Rectitude’s real name is Patton, Pride’s is Roman, and Control’s is Logan. Hope’s is Janus, and Creativity’s is Remus. I get everything right?” Virgil smirks, his cocky expression concealing clammy palms.

He tries to ignore the twist of his gut as Rectitude glares at him and Pride stares, open mouthed. It isn’t right to reveal a side’s name without their permission, but the Darks are abusing their power, and this is going to help even the playing field. That’s what Virgil tells himself anyway.

Control peers at him curiously, his lips quirked in intrigue. “Interesting. Your claims are correct.”


	15. Sooo...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sides learn each other's names, and Virgil comes to a gut roiling conclusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Mentions of Homophobia, Mentions of Abuse of Power
> 
> **Point of View:** Virgil

Rectitude and Pride are exchanging surprised looks, Control is looking bored, and Janus and Remus seem to be having a conversation with just their facial expressions.  _ The Dark Sides didn’t even know each other’s names? What about Control? It seems he’s the only person that isn’t phased. _

“Okay, shouldn’t that have been done way earlier?” Janus looks to the Dark Sides, fingers entangled in his scarf strands. “Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”

“Yeah, why didn’t you?” Remus sits up, dusting off his uniform.

“You two are the only sides that trust each other. There is strength in keeping things close to one’s chest, something you two appear to know nothing about.”

Even though Control’s words are spoken with an air of nonchalance, Janus still shrinks into his scarf. Remus stands, brushing off his posterior and eyeing the Logan lookalike.

“Not even Pride and Rectitude told each other?” Virgil looks at the two, brows furrowed.

“Of course not. That kind of information is  _ private. _ ” Pride sneers.

Virgil cringes, suddenly enraptured by his shoes.

“At least it’s all out in the open now.” Remus shrugs, a bright smile on his face. “Now, we should probably introduce him to  _ Him. _ He’s probably getting really weirded out by those sudden spikes in anxiety.”

“Fair point. I suppose lies of omission are no longer sensible, nor productive at this point in time.”

“Yes, let’s go. I have a host to yell at.” Virgil says.

Roman, no  _ Pride, _ gasps, fists clenching. Rectitude’s eyes darken. Control, as per usual, has his half lidded stare, though there is a flicker of something from behind his lenses. Remus and Janus on the other hand, couldn’t be more opposing. Remus is bouncing up and down, barely able to contain his energy, and Janus has the beginnings of a smile on his face.

“Homophobia.” Virgil explains. “You guys are assholes. I’m gonna fix it.”

_ At least they have the decency to look bothered. _

“And  _ why _ is that your concern, Anxiety?” Control questions.

He grits his teeth. “I’m gay. So is my Thomas. He even sang a fucking song about it. I don’t take kindly to  _ homophobes. _ ” He spits the word like it’s poison.

“Can we hear it?” Remus bounces up and down, eyes sparkling.

“What? No. I’m  _ not _ singing.” His eyes return to Control. “Why’d you do it in the first place? What’s there to gain from being homophobic.”

Control adjusts his glasses. “Power. When you have the ability to tear down someone in a matter of sentences, you have the upper hand. Of course, there is the risk of losing that person to their own ideals, but most aren’t strong enough to break out of the imbalance of power we create. Therefore, it’s beneficial.”

“It’s also pretty satisfying, knowing you can destroy someone, just like that.” Pride snaps, a grin spreading across his face.

Virgil wants to vomit. It’s suddenly much harder to tell his own sides from these opposite ones. It makes sense, in a twisted way. It isn’t  _ right, _ but it makes sense. He can see both Logan and Roman thinking this way, if their lives went just a little bit differently. If Logan was just a tad more bitter, and Roman was just a little bit more insecure. 

He digs his nails into his palms, hopping off the counter, and drawing himself up to full height. The hair on his arms stands up as he feels the fear begin to pulse under his skin, threatening to envelop the others. He holds it back.

“Well, we’re  _ fixing that _ today. Come on.” Virgil snarls, sinking out abruptly.


	16. Hey.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas meets a new side, and begins to question his worldview.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** None
> 
> **Point of View:** Thomas

Thomas sighs, flopping onto his couch. He feels around awkwardly for the remote, grumbling. He really needs some time to relax. Control had dropped in earlier, which was concerning. He never shows his face unless something’s bad. Though getting a visit from him is better than getting a visit from what his main sides call ‘the Others.’  _ They  _ only show up to bother him. He doesn’t care enough to remember specifics. It’s not like they show up much anyways. After finally finding the remote in between couch cushions, as per usual, he flicks on the TV to watch some Office bloopers.

“Sup.”

Thomas startles, crashing to the floor with a sharp yell. “Who are you?!”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Anxiety.” He drawls, a smirk across his features.

“What happened to Vigilance? Are  _ you _ Vigilance?”

The Vigilance lookalike bites his lip, glancing to the side. “I… don’t know what happened. But unlucky for you, I’m not him.”

“Okay?” 

The side eyes him. “I’m not an expert, but I don’t think you should be this chill about a side disappearing. Shouldn’t you be concerned?”

Thomas shrugs. “Not really. I never really knew him.”

“You  _ what?! _ ” The side screeches, his whole body tensing. “Do you  _ understand _ how  _ awful _ that is?! To be shut away from your  _ host _ for who knows  _ how long! _ To have someone  _ ignore you, _ no matter the fact that you’re trying to  _ help! _ To be  _ mistrusted _ to be  _ hated _ because.. because your job isn’t something your host wants… Or  _ whatever _ your problem with him was. And you did it on  _ purpose, _ all because he was  _ ‘bothering’ _ you?”

“Are you… okay?” Thomas eyes the side, stepping back slightly.

“I’m  _ fine. _ ” He spits, glaring firmly at the wall. “That’s not the issue here.”

“Well, Pride and Rectitude told me Hope and Vigilance are bad, and I trust them. I don’t see a problem here.”

“And Control?”

“I dunno. He gave me this huge lecture about how they’re ‘useful but not trustworthy enough to communicate with me directly.’ I stopped paying attention, like, halfway through.” He shrugs. The new side looks horrified. “So, I’m guessing you’re here to replace Vigilance while he’s on vacation or something?”

“First off, he is  _ not _ on vacation, he is  _ missing. _ And second, I’m  _ not _ Vigilance. I’m  _ Anxiety. _ And I’m  _ not yours. _ ”

“Then who’s anxiety  _ are _ you?”

“Another Thomas’s.”

His jaw hits the floor. “What?”

The other sighs, dragging a hand along his face, and somehow not smearing the eyeshadow caked under his eyes. “This is gonna be fucking fun to explain.”

“Shouldn’t the others be here?”

Anxiety shakes his head. “Nah, they’re listening in.”

“They can  _ do _ that?”

Thomas runs a hand through his hair.  _ Jeez, I’m always the last to know what’s happening in my head. _

“Yeah. But I guess it’ll be easier if we have them all here.” Anxiety flicks his hand up, and suddenly the living room is significantly more populated.

Pride looks disgruntled, fixing his hair and muttering something about summoning. Rectitude has his arms folded across his chest, a frown wearing down his typically kind features. Control has his hands in his pockets, looking neutral, as always. Hope is holding onto his scarf, looking around with eyes the size of saucers. Creativity beams at Thomas, bouncing on the balls of his feet, eyes shining with pure elation. 

_ Maybe Anxiety’s right. The Others don’t look all that bad to me. _

“So… You guys gonna fill me in or…?”


	17. Too Long

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil explains to the others the events that led to him arriving in their dimension.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Mention of The Split, Spoilers for POF(Putting Others First)
> 
> **Point of View:** Virgil

Virgil fiddles with his hoodie sleeve, hesitating to make eye contact with anything other than the wall. He takes a deep breath. “Okay. Um, so, I’m from a place where everything is… reversed? I think? That’s the best way to describe it anyway. Anxiety instead of Vigilance, Deceit instead of Hope, Intrusive Thoughts instead of Creativity.” He bites his lip. “As for the Dark Sides, where I’m from, they’re more… twisted, I guess. Not as direct? I dunno. Anyways, over on my end I have Creativity instead of Pride, Morality instead of Rectitude, and Logic instead of Control.” He pauses, looking around to see if anyone has any questions. When met with silence, he keeps talking. “I have Dark Sides and Light Sides, too. But it’s not the same as it is here. If you’re a Dark Side, it just means Thomas hasn’t accepted you. Yet. It looks like he’s working on accepting all of us. Can’t wait to see what that’s like for the Duke.” He snorts.

“Who?” Thomas asks, head cocked.

“Be grateful you don’t know.” Virgil mutters. His voice returns to a normal level as he answers, “Oh yeah, nicknames. It makes it easier to get less confused. The Duke is Intrusive Thoughts; Dark Creativity. Princey is Good Creativity, Dad is Morality, Teach is Logic, and Deceit is, well, Deceit.”

Virgil’s gaze flicks to the floor.  _ I wonder if he ever gets sick of only being called Deceit…  _

He continues. “Anyways, where I come from I used to be a Dark Side. And then I said ‘fuck that’ and left.”  _ It’s a gross oversimplification, but it works well enough. _

“Mind elaborating?” Pride demands.

“No.” Virgil stares him down, and eventually Pride breaks his gaze. “But what I’m saying is that this place is kinda like a partly reversed version of my world. I got here when I woke up, and I was  _ convinced _ I was being messed with.”

“Why..?” Janus asks, timidity tinting his voice.

“Okay, so in my world, we all record videos together. As a team. We all work together with Thomas.”

“Keep going.” Pride prompts after a small pause.

“Well, Deceit and the Duke were some…  _ new _ additions to the film crew. I have a bad history with them. Shit happened before I left. So I didn’t respond when Deceit first popped up, disguised as Dad, and then the Duke knocking Princey unconscious.” This elicits gasps and chuckles from the Light Sides and Dark Sides respectively, though Control and Thomas stay silent. “I tried to get them to leave. I told Thomas,  _ my _ Thomas, to not let them stay. But he didn’t listen. He kept letting them hang around. And lo and behold, turns out Deceit is also Selfishness.”

The Darks all look confused. Again, it’s Pride who speaks. “And that’s a bad thing…?”

Virgil shoots him a look. “Not  _ necessarily. _ Thomas is painfully selfless. He needs to take better care of himself, which means being selfish sometimes. But I still don’t like having the Dark Sides around. Which is why I was less than happy to find out that Dad offered Deceit a seat at the table. So I locked myself in my room, not wanting to see him again anytime soon. Apparently Dad decided to ignore Teach’s exposition, which you can imagine only went so well. Even if he denies it to Hell and back, that made Teach very mad. Anyways, Morality learned that he doesn’t have all the answers by turning into a giant frog apparently.” He chuckles at the perplexed expressions around him. “Yeah, I don’t know either.”

“Someone turned into a  _ giant frog? _ ” Pride asks, his nose wrinkled in disgust, hands held to his chest as if even getting close to Virgil would elicit a similar reaction in him.

“Apparently. Anyways, Princey got real bent out of shape because he insulted Deceit, and that  _ snake _ clapped back and compared him to his brother-”

“Brother?” Control inquires.

“The Duke. He and Princey were once one person once upon a time. King Creativity. Romulus. I wasn’t solid enough to interact with him, but he wasn’t safe for Thomas later in life. So Dad split him into Princey and the Duke. Anyways, Princey trusted Dad a  _ lot, _ and Deceit played off of his trust in Dad. And now Deceit is a  _ Light Side. _ ” He snarls. “What the  _ hell _ has the world come to.”

“And the Duke?” Pride inquires.

“He didn’t like being called the ‘evil twin,’ so he went after Deceit. He was definitely out of line, but I’m not about to say Deceit didn’t deserve it.”

“What did he do to him?” Hope asks hesitantly, fidgeting with his scarf.

Virgil shrugs. “Nothing we couldn’t fix, thank God. But the Duke won’t be talking to  _ any _ of us anytime soon. Some of it was talked out, but we aren’t really the ‘talk about our feelings’ types, so unless we’re, like, locked in a room together and forced to talk about it, we won’t. Then, after all that shit happened, I woke up here.” He turns to Thomas, pointing an accusing finger at the acting host. “And now that that’s out of the way, there are some  _ serious _ changes to make with you.”


	18. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil's addition to this other Thomas's lifestyle has really helped him turn around his life. And Virgil's finally settling into his new life with these other sides.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** None
> 
> **Point of View:** Not Applicable

It’s been a little while since Virgil arrived in the other universe, and things are finally settling down. He’s taken up his position as Anxiety in this universe, causing Thomas to hard pivot from the life he led before Virgil arrived. He’s helping him change, steering him towards better people to surround himself with and making sure his host is making up for all the awful things he did for the first 31 years of his life.

Rectitude isn’t coping well with the new change, thoroughly infuriated by his dethroning. The others don’t regard him as their leader anymore, which Virgil is completely fine with. He now spends most of his time seething and pouting. The side still shows his face regularly, and Janus and Remus seem to be warming up to him bit by bit.

Pride, on the other hand, is a different case. Janus and Remus refuse to be alone with him. It’s become Virgil’s job to be there with the two whenever Pride finds them alone. Virgil, not wanting to ask any questions, has accepted and easily slipped into his role as bodyguard. Thankfully, though Pride seems bothered, he hasn’t tried to resist.

Control has been more busy than ever before, sinking all of his time and energy into trying to find a way to get Virgil home. Janus and Remus seem to be okay around him on their own, but Control doesn’t seem remotely interested in creating bonds of any kind the sides, instead working on figuring out how to return Virgil to his dimension. He has mixed feelings about that, but is happy, at least, that Control’s working on a way to get him home.

Remus is having the time of his life. His and Virgil’s efforts to shift Thomas into a better person have helped their host discover he enjoys painting. Thomas is now enrolled in a couple classes, which Remus always looks forward to. Now that the creative side is a part of the equation that is Thomas, his host actually gets things done. He has a job, has interests, and overall seems much happier than he did when Virgil met him. It seems as if the Darks made Thomas into nothing more than a husk of a human. Virgil’s glad that he’s helped Thomas learn to enjoy life.

And Janus. Janus is just so happy to be around Thomas again. Every time Virgil sees the two conversing, he can’t help the smile that creeps onto his face. When he first met Janus, the side wouldn’t even say Thomas’s name. Now the two talk daily, and are closer than ever before. When he was first allowed to be around Thomas, Janus acted like he was a phantom, never touching, never talking. Only staring. But after Thomas asked if he was okay, and then hugged him, the hopeful facet hasn’t left his side since. He’s helping Thomas a lot with the change in lifestyle, keeping his spirits up as he rebuilds his life from the ground up.

Everything is finally settling down, and Virgil is starting to feel good again. He still gets homesick, but the pangs in his chest have subsided. Currently, he’s relaxing on the counter, listening as Remus goes on and on about the painting he helped make not an hour before. He gestures with his hands emphatically to Virgil, Janus, and Rectitude as he speaks.

Suddenly, Pride barrels in, his crown nearly slipping off his head as he skids to a halt. “Hey guys, there’s a thing in the commons. Help? Like, now?”

Virgil, Janus, and Remus all exchange glances and rush in, Rectitude following behind from a distance. Virgil stops when he comes face to face with a sizzling, aquamarine ring in the middle of the commons. And in front of it, is his family. He freezes.

Roman turns, eyes landing on him, his face lighting up at the sight of his boyfriend, so grateful to see him again. “VIRGIL!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is complete, but another is on it's way. After all, Twisted Thomas is just the first book in a Trilogy. Stay tuned, and keep an eye out for the next book, Untwisted Thomas. Until that arrives, here's a sneak peak to tide you all over.
> 
> _He fists the comforter, quickly determining that it isn’t his. It’s much too smooth. He sits up, looking around. The sheets, comforter, and pillows are still purple, but aren’t his comfy lavender. They’re much darker. Everything is much darker. The curtains are printed with little cartoon spiders, and there are webs everywhere. There’s no rug on the floor, and it’s just so dark. It’s so, so dark. Virgil shrinks away as he pulls open the spider curtains, revealing a desolate wasteland. He yanks the curtains closed, hugging himself._  
>  _Just then, a knock sounds through the door, Rectitude’s haunting, cheery voice echoing through the horrible, dark room. “Virgil?”_


End file.
